Apparatus for washing paper-making stock



Nmf. 20, i923. Y

B. CROCKR APPARATUS FOR WASHING APE'R MAKING STOCK Filed Jan '10, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 starmi MT reir BIGELOW CROCKER, `Ol FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

Arrana'rus non Wesii'iiverarita-amiante strooit.

Appiicatioii ined January io, ieee'. sriii NX. malato( To @ZZ @ii/tom t may conce/rn.' fibre passing through `this forni `of my ini Be itknown that I, BioiiLow CROOKER, vention. i l a citizen of the United States of America, 're- A mixing box 1, Fig.l 1aiid settling trough siding at Fitchburg, in the countyot Worces- 2, sustained as by hangers 3, comprise a bot- 60 ter and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, tom 4, two sides 5,4 anda closed end 63 a have invented certain new and useful 4Apdani' 7 `s'eparating the boit` from the trough paratus for `Washing Paper-MakingStock, having" across its bottom partitions 3 forin-` of which the tollowingis a specif`ication,ref` ing compai'tlnientslto catch particles of sand, erence being had therein to the accompanymetal and the like. A gate 9 extends across 35 10. ingldrawings. the open'l end" of the settling trough.

rThe principal obj ect of my invention may Inclined downwardly from the `open end be said to be, ii'rst, to washwith rapidity ofk the trough `2, see F ig. 3, is a gravity and completeness, and at very small expense, channel made up of sides 10, and a bottoni waste-paperfibre, or any paper-making fibre, comprising a'l series of floors 11, 12, 13 and 70 which has been cooked and defibredlg 14, separated by dependent tanks 15, 16, 17 second, to provide a process, and. third, also, divided by partitions 18, 19 and 20, Fig. l, apparatus ei'nploying itl whereby the above into waste-water basins 21, 22 and 23, and mentioned results may be`obtained. Other mixing' boxes 24,25 and 26. These ,basinsV objects and their attainment will become have outlets27,23and29,0pening'into waste- 75 2 @vident hereinafte'n water channels 30, while the floor 14 leads In so far as the apparatus is concerned, to a `return-water tank 31. The mixing it may be said that the chief charaeteristics` bOXQS are plOVL'lGCl With buffles 32, 33 and 34'. reside 1st, in a stationary wire screen, the" eXtend-ingffrom' side toside, and raised from inrlination, and the size of the nieshes,'ot' the tlleottoiiis of the boxes, Lying` above the 80 screen being such'that, by gravity, the pa floors, are inclinedat an angle of about 150 perl-iiiaking stock moves down over, but not Sheets 012 Wire-Cloth 36, 37 and 3S of about through, the meshes of the screen, while vthe No.3() mesh wire,l resting upon supports 39, soiled washing water drains through and 41 and 42, whichare fixed to the sides away from the i'neshesoic the screen, leaving ofthe gravity channel; the sheets eXtend- 95 30 cleaned fibre stock free ot' its drained'dirty ing asfollows: `The sheet 35 from the botwater; and, 2nd, in means for subjecting tom 44 of the settling'trough 2, to over the said cleaned fibre stock to agitation and topotthe partition 18 of the tank 15; the disintegration in clean washing water, and sheets 36 4and 37 respectively, from the tops draining' away, and separating the resulting of the front walls 43 and 44, of the mixing in :is soiled Water from the washed fibre paper boxes 15 and 16l to the tops ofthe partitions stock, as by the above-mentioned screen,v 19 and 2O ofthe',A tanks, 16 and 17; and the having the desired mesh and inclination; sheet 38,4'from'Y the topof front wall 45 `of while the chiet characteristic of the process the 'mixing box 17`to a collecting pipe 46 .is ythat each piece ot wet fibre, inv its downleading to stock-chest, not shown. io ward movement over the screen, is' always A'stock pipe 47, Fim 2, and a make-up subjectedto the action of unused clean wawater-pipe 48 open into the mixing-boi; 1, terwhich, after contacting the libre, passes, L the latter pipe being connected with a return more or less dirty, through and away "from water-pipe 49 leading. from a rotary pump the. screen, having` completed its usefulness 50,4 operated. by a suitable driving-pulleyY im in so as the Washed fibres are concerned., 62, and belt63, to force the water 'troni the In the drawings illustrating the principle return water tank 31 up through the return of my invention and the best inode now pipe 49, into,V the mixing-box 1.

known to me of embodying the same in opei- Across and above each sheet `ot wireative structure, cloth35, 36, 37and 38 and inixingboxes 15, 105

50 Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of 16 yand 17,`1 e`spectively, are two clean water the apparatus, on line'l-l `Fig. 2. shower pipes 51, 52; 53,54; 551.56557 and 5S.

Fig. 2 is a plan ot the apparatus. and a clean water agitating pipe 59, 60 and Fig. 3 shows an enlargement of the longi- 61. having, respectively, valves '80. 81 S2, tudinal section of the first inclined ,vviigef 83, 84,85, 8,6, and A37, and 88,.89, and 90,'and im cloth screen and associatedapparatus shown, eachfofthese pi es havin'gla series of smallV` in Fig. 1, and a typical washing otpaper apertures where y showers of clean water of dirty water,

Vcentage of fibre say, 3%.

can be cast against their respective wire sheets and into the mixing-boxes.

I will now describe the opera-tion or' my invention. Y

Paper-stock, mixed with water, and previously saponitied and delibred by any of the well known processes in paper-make ing, is introduced through the stock pipe 47, Figs. l and 2, into the mixing box l which is supplied with an abundance ci' water through the make-up water pipe 48; the resultant fluid being a very thin and milky mixture containing a very small per- From the mixing-box, it flows over the dam 7, intothe settling trough 2, where particles' of metal, sand and the like are collected in the compartments 'formed by' the partitions 8.

The liquid paper-stock mixture 64, Fig. 3, next leaves the settling trough 2 by passing under the small gate 9, and, flowin a thin liquid sheet P65; onto the sheet of wire-cloth 35. Because ot the lineness ot the mesh, some ot the dirty water 66 percolates through, and either drops directly into the waste channel ll, or flows along the under side of the wire-cloth, meets and runs down the support 39, and falls into the waste channel also; further, some of the Awater remaining upon the top surface of the wire screen, passes through the mesh above the support, being greatly aided by the capillary attraction due to the proximityr of theV support. This gradual removal ot' water from the mixture in its downward course, leaves small masses of wet fibre 67 moving downward over the wire cloth because of either their own weight or the moving water still on top ol' the cloth. But in this downward movement, these small masses ot fibre partially drained pass under a clean water shower 68 comprising jets of water from the shower pipe 5l, branching from the main fresh water shower supply pipe 69; these jets being cast at the top face of the inclined wire trough,rat an angle say, less than a right angle. By reason of this shower, the small masses of libre are disintegrated, dashed with clean water and thereby washed of their saponiiied partiink and color; much of the cles ofV dirt, Y resulting dirty water 70 being driven by the shower, through the wire mesh `intothe waste channel. i

The libres after passing the first .shower 68, begin again t`o move downward along the wire cloth, and lose their water as already described, and encounter a second clean water shower 71, like the lirst, with the result that the fibres are again disintegrated and scoured with clean water. while most of the dirty water is driven by the shower through the wire mesh into the waste water channel; the washed bre and capillary T2 still again sliding and rolling downward along the wire-cloth, and losing its water through the above-mentioned percolation attraction until it drops into the second mixing box 24, which receives jets 73 of clean water from the'agitating pipe 59, also branching from the main clear water supply pipe 69. Here lthe libres are again thoroughly mixed with clean water, as by natural agitation, and, passing under the partition 32, upon leaving` this second mixing box, drop over and down onto the second wire cloth 36, and are drained of most of the water, subjected to the Vaction of separate streams of jets of clean water, most of which drive through the screen between the supports, and pass oil and into the dirty water escape. Obviously, while on the second screen, as on the first, the masses of libre are drained, then disintegrated and washed; then again drained', disintegrated and washed, and finally drained;v to be again drained and washed if necessary, by repeating the above de scribed operation over the third, and, perhaps, over the fourth wire screen such as described. From the last screen used, say the fourth, 14, the small masses of drained washed paper fibre, drop into the collecting pipe 46, from which the washed paper stock licws through the delivery pipe to the stock chest. Y

lt is to be noted lthat the water escaping from the lirst screen 35 is dirty; that from the second 36, less dirty; that from the third 37 quite clean; while that from the fourth is for all pratical purposes, clean, and is again serviceable for further use in this process; in which event, it can be caught in the waste return water tank 31, and by the pump 50, returned through the return water pipe 49, to the make-up water pipe 48, and emptied again into the first mixing box fl used in the operation of this apparatus.

lt is also found, that, in order to have the used water from the escape channels liow away through the waste pipe, an air vent 74 must be provided in each escape channel.

Still further, Vlit thought desirable, me-V chanical'agitation inthe mixing box 25, may be accomplished, as by a paddle 75 'rotated as by a belt 76 Vdriven Jfrom the llO portion of it, will flow down over the top of the screen, and will not drain away trom the libre. It the inclination is not enough,

the l'ibres will not slide or roll down overY the top surface of the screen, but will settle into the small mesh, and fill them up and prevent the dirty water from draining away through the mesh. Experimentation has shown that when the inclination of the screen is about e5", .and the wire used is about a No. 80 mesh wire, the dirty water will pass through, and all of thetibre will roll or slide down over'the top surface of the screen; and it was also noticed that on such a screen in use, any short fibres oli' the stock that might become Icaught in the mesh, are at once seized and pulled out therefrom, by the long fibres of the downcoming masses of wet libre passing over them. In this way, the meshes ot the screen are kept `free from clogging libres, for long periods or time.

It is evident that, broadly, my inventionv is not susceptible of definition in terms of meshes to the inch, and ot angles oi' inclination, ot the screen, and that practical workers in the art will have no diliiculty in understanding that the inclination and the mesh of the screen must be so correlated, that gravity will separate the dirty water trom the kind ot paper making stock to be washed.

It has been tonnd that frequently a satisfactory washing may be obtained without the additional washings brought about by the use ot clean water sprays, as 5l, and/ or 52, controlled by valves 8O and/or 8l; but in any event, the person using my invention has at his disposal apparatus whereby he can wash his paper stock with or without any one or more of these clean water sprays, as occasion demands.-

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the process is continuous, rapid, complete, and cheap to carry out; that gravity and water do all the work and that the only attention required is that oi an operator controlling the proper supply of paper stock solution, and of clean water from the fresh water pipe.

The value oit my invention becomes particularly obvious when compared with any mechanical process ot washing paper stock.

Desiring to protect my invention in the broadest manner legally possible,

VVha-t I claim is l. Apparatus for washing paper making bre stock, consisting of an inclined wire screen, the size of its mesh and the angle ot' its inclination permitting dirty water after the delivery of the stock suspended in water, to the screen to pass through and away from the screen, and only the stock to remain upon and move down over the screen, by gravity.

2. Apparatus for washing paper making stock, consisting ot an inclined wire screen the size ci its mesh and the angle of its inclination permitting the dirty water, after the delivery of said stoclr, suspended in water, to the screen, to pass through and away from the screen, and only the stock to remain upon and move down over the screen, by gravity; a mixing box .tor said stock at the bottom ot the said screen; means for mixing said drained stock with clean water in said box; and a second inclined screen like said irst mentioned screen, for separating, by gravity, the washed stock from its dirty water.

Apparatus for washing paper making stock, consisting of an inclined wire screen the size ot its mesh and the angle ot its inclination, permitting the dirty water, after the delivery ot said stock, suspended in water, to the screen, to pass through and away from the screen, and only the stock to remain upon and move down and over the screen, by gravity; means whereby a suitable stream ot clean water may be cast against the wet stock being drained and moving down over the screen to disintegrate, wash and rinse said stock, and pass through and away from said screen; a mixing box to receive said stock at the bottom of said screen; means for mixing said drained stock with clean water, in said box; a second inclined wire screen like said first mentioned screen, for separating, by gravity, the washed stoclr from its dirty water; and means whereby a suitable stream o1"- clean water may be cast against the wet stock being drained and moving down over said second screen, to disintegrate, wash and rinse said stock, and pass through and away from said screen.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

BIGELOW CROCKER. 

